Propeller.



Patented May 7, I90I. D. H. ROHWEDDER.

PRUPELLEB.

(Application filed Oct. 1. 1900,) (No Modei.)

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UNrTnn STATES PATENT Orrick.

DETLEF HENRY ROHW'EDDER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PROPELLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 673,787, dated May 7', 1901.

Application iiled October l, 1900. Serial No. 31,640. @lo model..

T0 @ZZ 11171/0771, it 'may concern;

Be it known that I, DETLEF HENRY RoH- WEDDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propellers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, Which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in propellers, and is embodied in the novel parts, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter described, and particularly set forth in the claims.

One object of the invention is to provide a propeller or paddle-Wheel of a construction such that the area of the blades of the propeller or wheel is increased during that portion of the revolution of the blades in which they exert their driving or propelling force and is decreased during the practically idle portion of the revolution of the blades, so as to present as small a surface as possible to the back pressure or retarding influence of the water.

A further object of the invention is to produce a propeller or paddle-Wheel having eX- pansible blades and means for causing the blades to spread or open out and to close or contract.

` A further object of the invention is to construct a propeller or paddle-Wheel With blades each consisting of a plurality of sections and means for causing the sections to contract or spread to present a decreased or increased area of operative surface.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and practical propeller or paddle-Wheel of the character described.

In the accompanying drawings I have illus- 4trated a form of propeller embodying my invention, but desire it understood that I do not Wish to be limited in the useful application of the invention to the particular construction Which for the sake of an understanding of the invention I have there shown.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view of a portion of a vessel provided with a propeller embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a Sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 3, the propeller being turned to a different position. Fig. 3 is an elevational view, one of the bearing-plates being removed. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view through one of the blades of the propeller on line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates a propeller-shaft, which, as shown in the drawings, is horizontal and extends transversely of the vessel at the rear thereof. The shaft is mounted in bearing-plates B and C, suitably secured in any desired or preferred manner to the vessel-hull, through which the shaft A extends. The shaft is conveniently provided With tWo propellers; but these are similar,and the description of one will sufflce,and but one is illustrated.

D indicates the hub ofthe propeller,which, as usual, is bored and secured on the propeller-shaft.

E E E indicate the propeller-blades, each blade comprising a plurality of sections, three being shown, of Which the central section is rigidly secured in any approved manner, as by bolts or as by being cast with the hub. At each side of the rigid section, which is indicated at F, is a side section or Wing G, the wings G being pivoted at their inner ends to the hub D in any preferred manner, as by having their reduced ends inserted in sockets H on the hub and retained in place, as by means of pivot-pins or bolts h. At their outer or enlarged ends the Wings G lie fiat against the sides of the rigid sections F, preferably one wing on each side, and the Wings G are provided With guiding and retaining means. For this purpose I have shown the rigid section F provided on each side With a guidebracket J, having a slot j, in which Works a stud or projection K on the Wing G. The stud K is preferably headed, and the bracket .I is provided With retaining-[ianges for the head of the stud. By this means the blade,

though made of sections capableof being spread or contracted, is yet rigid and strong. It will be understood that the bracket J is slotted concentrically with the pivot of the wing, the stud of which engages in the slot.

For the purpose of opening or spreading and closing or contracting the blades I have IOO rzo

shown inclined or cam plates M secured in any approved manner to the vessel-hull beside the propeller-blades. These cam or inclined plates are provided with slots m, in which Work headed studs N, secured to the wing-sections G of the propeller-blades. The inclination of the cam-plates M and the shape of the slots therein are such as to cause the wing-sections G of the blades to move toward and from the rigid sections F during the revolution of the propeller. The relative arrangement is such that the wings G begin to spread or move outwardly at about the point X in Fig. 3 of the drawings and begin to contract or move inward toward the rigid sections at about the pointYin Fig. 3. The cam-plates M are provided with bearings for the propeller-shaft and also serve as an additional supporting means for the shaft. The plates M are conveniently constructed, as shown in l the drawings, of two plates spaced apart, the

inner one being provided with the slot m for the studs N.

If so desired, the bearing-plates B and C for the shaft can be constructed similarly to the plates-M, and in the drawings I have shown this construction, the plates B and C thus acting as the operating means for the 4o I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a propeller, the combination of blades composed of a plurality of sections, and fixed means for causing said sections to contract and spread during the revolution of the propeller, substantially as described.

2. In a propeller, the combination of blades composed of a xed section and a movable section, and fixed means for causing said movable section to move toward and from the fixed section during the revolution of the propeller, substantiall7 as described. p

3. In a propeller, the combination of a blade composed of a fixed section, a pivoted section at each side of said fixed section, and fixed means for causing said pivoted sections to move toward and from said fixed section during the revolution of the propeller, substantially as described 4. In a propeller, the combination of a hub, a blade-section fixed to said hub, a blade-section pivoted to said hub on each side of said fixed section, fixed means at the sides of the blades for moving said pivoted sections to- Ward and from the iixed section during the revolution of the propeller and means on said sections for guiding and retaining the same in proper relative position, substantially as described.

5. In apropeller, the combination of a blade composed ota plurality of sections one of which is movable, and means for moving said movable section toward and from the other section during the revolution of the propeller, comprising a plate beside said movable section and a part iixed to said movable blade-section and engaging with a part carried by said plate, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

DETLEF HENRY ROIIWEDDER.

Witnesses:

E. M. STALEY, E. GERLACH. 

